Gastonia church hosts an Interfaith Dialogue

Published: Friday, March 22, 2013 at 07:55 PM.

On our TV and computer screens, we are regularly exposed to images of violence from around the world, many times carried out in the name of religion. In spite of a shared heritage going all the way back to Abraham, the followers of the world’s three great monotheistic religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam – too often fail to live up to the noblest parts of their own faiths.

Here in America, as society changes to reflect our growing religious diversity, some Christians have reacted by getting angry and defensive. As a result, too many churches have become known for who they are against instead of for the “good news“ of God’s love for us all, leading many young people to abandon Christianity altogether - a third of my generation, the “ Millennials ,“ now claim no religious affiliation.

I am proud to be the pastor of a very different kind of church. On March 20, just days before the celebration of Passover and Easter, a remarkable thing took place in the fellowship hall of Covenant United Methodist Church. Jews, Muslims, and Christians from many denominations in our community came together to sip potato soup and talk about God. After the meal, I had the privilege of presenting the Christian perspective along with Dr. Charles Brown from Temple Emanuel and Br. Hossam Shoukry from the Islamic Society of Gastonia.

After sharing about our unique traditions and beliefs, we each had the opportunity to address how we might overcome our differences and work together for the common good. Dr. Brown reflected on the importance of balancing devotion to your own beliefs with tolerance toward others who do not share your faith. Br. Shoukry shared about the importance of keeping an open mind as a way to fight against ignorance and prejudice. In their words I heard the voice of a Jewish rabbi – respected as a prophet by Muslims and worshiped as divine by Christians – who once said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.“

It’s a simple idea, really, what we Christians call “the Golden Rule .“ If only we weren’t too busy or too proud or too angry to live it out. In contrast to those scenes of hate and suffering that we know all too well, this little gathering in Gastonia holds out another way for people of faith. A way that begins by building a relationship with someone different than you. In the voice of my neighbor, I learn something new. In the laugh of my neighbor, I feel my defenses going down. In the eyes of my neighbor, I see a fellow human being – another child of God.

It’s a simple idea, really, the Golden Rule. But for us, maybe it all starts by sharing a little potato soup.

Rev. Paul Brown is the pastor of Covenant and Trinity United Methodist Churches in Gastonia.

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On our TV and computer screens, we are regularly exposed to images of violence from around the world, many times carried out in the name of religion. In spite of a shared heritage going all the way back to Abraham, the followers of the world’s three great monotheistic religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam – too often fail to live up to the noblest parts of their own faiths.

Here in America, as society changes to reflect our growing religious diversity, some Christians have reacted by getting angry and defensive. As a result, too many churches have become known for who they are against instead of for the “good news“ of God’s love for us all, leading many young people to abandon Christianity altogether - a third of my generation, the “ Millennials ,“ now claim no religious affiliation.

I am proud to be the pastor of a very different kind of church. On March 20, just days before the celebration of Passover and Easter, a remarkable thing took place in the fellowship hall of Covenant United Methodist Church. Jews, Muslims, and Christians from many denominations in our community came together to sip potato soup and talk about God. After the meal, I had the privilege of presenting the Christian perspective along with Dr. Charles Brown from Temple Emanuel and Br. Hossam Shoukry from the Islamic Society of Gastonia.

After sharing about our unique traditions and beliefs, we each had the opportunity to address how we might overcome our differences and work together for the common good. Dr. Brown reflected on the importance of balancing devotion to your own beliefs with tolerance toward others who do not share your faith. Br. Shoukry shared about the importance of keeping an open mind as a way to fight against ignorance and prejudice. In their words I heard the voice of a Jewish rabbi – respected as a prophet by Muslims and worshiped as divine by Christians – who once said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.“

It’s a simple idea, really, what we Christians call “the Golden Rule .“ If only we weren’t too busy or too proud or too angry to live it out. In contrast to those scenes of hate and suffering that we know all too well, this little gathering in Gastonia holds out another way for people of faith. A way that begins by building a relationship with someone different than you. In the voice of my neighbor, I learn something new. In the laugh of my neighbor, I feel my defenses going down. In the eyes of my neighbor, I see a fellow human being – another child of God.

It’s a simple idea, really, the Golden Rule. But for us, maybe it all starts by sharing a little potato soup.

Rev. Paul Brown is the pastor of Covenant and Trinity United Methodist Churches in Gastonia.